Nicaragua, León – Colonial-style Town
Published: 2.3.2020
Finally, we find ourselves in Nicaragua and curious about it. It is the largest country in Central America with a very diverse landscape. Nicaragua is known as the "Land of Lakes and Volcanoes" and is primarily divided into three areas: the Northeast Mountains, the Pacific Coast and the Caribbean Coast.
Our first stop in Nicaragua is the city of Leon, also known as the university city. We come here in the dark, but there is peace and there is nothing to worry about. The city of León was founded in 1524 at the foot of Momotombo volcano and until 1824 it was the capital of Nicaragua. After the earthquake and eruption of the volcano in 1610 it was moved alongside the indigenous people of Sutiava. The ruins of the old town are located about 30 km from the current city of León, called León Viejo and have become a tourist attraction.
The city still retains colonial style in its streets and buildings, such as the cathedral, which is considered the largest in Central America. It was built between 1747 and 1860 and renovated in 1992. Its atrium is decorated with impressive lions, also located around the fountain in the central square. Inside the cathedral are baroque decorations and valuable oil paintings and frescoes as well as the tomb of poet Rubén Daría..
Other important buildings include the Church of San Juan de Bautista de Sutiava from 1710, which is the oldest intact church in the city. Furthermore, the yellow church from 1786 with a richly decorated facade and Iglesia de El Calvario.
In addition to the sights around the city you can experience other adventures, whether to climb one of the surrounding volcanoes, such as Cerro Negro, Momotombo and San Cristobo, or you can take a trip and swim in the Pacific Ocean. So for one afternoon we set off to Las Peñitas beach and it was worth it. It was just bigger waves, so it was a little adrenaline. A small disadvantage of this beach is that there is not much to hide in the shade.
Before we visit Granada, we stay overnight at Jinotepe, where we got a place to sleep through Couchsurfing. The city of Jinotepe itself is nothing special, but we were surprised at how often there is free wifi in almost every main square. So we spend the night in a small farm where avocados, papaya and other tropical fruits are grown. It is a time-out place, where only a few monkeys jump in the trees and hummingbirds fly around us.
GPS: 42°35'51.3"N 5°33'58.3"W
Text and photos: Tomáš Novák
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